"I don't want to hear it. Don't use your experiences that almost killed you as a reference!"
After a brief pause, I continued, "I think things are fine as they are now. At least we can talk like friends... You don't know, when we're together, she really doesn't tell me anything."
"You mean, you..."
Are we better suited to be friends?
"As long as we don't become enemies, I'll do anything."
"You're giving yourself too much leeway with that..." Chen Jin said, leaning closer to me, then added mysteriously, "Michael, I genuinely think you're a master. You're always so subtle when it comes to relationships, but women just love it... Take Yang Sisi and Ye Zhi, for example, they're such great women. Each of them could be a heartthrob on their own, so why are they all stuck with you?... I think you shouldn't go to Thailand. Just stay in Dali, write down all your experiences in a book, and save us men who are struggling through life... Seriously, being a bestselling author is much better than going to Thailand to be a landlord!"
"Bullshit... I'm going to speculate on real estate, not become a sub-landlord."
"See, you're avoiding the important points again!"
I scratched my chin, suddenly unsure what to say to Chen Jin… In his words, I was just a man skilled at using tactics to win over women. He was utterly talking nonsense!
Strangely, while I remained silent, Chen Jin also fell into a deep, somber silence. After a long while, he said to me with a hint of emotion, "Yang Sisi and Ye Zhi are both incredibly shrewd women. When they love someone, they never love superficially... It's because you, my friend, have real personal charm... We've been to Dali, we all know what Dali is like, yet you manage to remain untainted by its corruption, living the most disciplined life. So, in these past few years, even we, your best friends, haven't heard of you messing around with any woman... Just that alone is something few men can do... Besides, you've truly gone to great lengths to be good to them... First, when Ye Zhi had her accident, you waited for her for over a year; later, when Yang Sisi's family fell on hard times, you sacrificed the best opportunity of your life to make money, giving her the lion's share of the profits, allowing her father a chance to make a comeback... In contrast, with me, whether it's Nicole or A, I seem to lack that kind of sincerity you have..."
Chen Jin exhaled the smoke from his mouth, wiped his face heavily, and continued, "We're always questioning fate, questioning why some man who doesn't seem much better than us gets loved by one, or even two or three exceptionally outstanding women? ... This isn't a fairy tale! ... But nobody reflects on what they can do for this woman in their own filthy thoughts, besides wanting to sleep with her... When they want to do something for this woman, can they really do it like you do... Sometimes, thinking and doing are two completely different things!"
I finally spoke up and replied, "You've rambled on and on, I really don't know what you're trying to say."
Chen Jin's sudden seriousness was evident as he first placed his hand on my shoulder, then, after a moment of contemplation, said, "Instead of being jealous of you, you should calm down, reflect on your strengths, and correct them..."
Thinking back, your kindness to them was truly from the bottom of your heart... You weren't deliberately trying to please them, nor were you so humble as to abandon your self-respect, and you didn't have any ulterior motives... As a woman, of course I would like a man like you!
I laughed and asked, "Am I really that outstanding? You're making me blush!"
“Exceptionally outstanding… From now on, I’ll follow in your footsteps… I’ll first take care of my lower body, then build a career, and then find a woman to marry.”
"You'd better keep what you're saying in your heart."
“I certainly wouldn’t forget. I’ll just pretend the old Chen Jin is dead!” After a short pause, he said to me, “Aren’t you really going to consider staying to help Ye Zhi? I think she really needs you right now.”
I looked up and stared at the pitch-black sky for a long time before replying, "She knows she's in a difficult situation, struggling to move forward; but so am I, perhaps even more so... But that doesn't mean we have to physically help each other... As long as I can sense that she's trying to get out of her predicament, that's an encouragement to me... And she feels the same way; if she can sense my efforts, she'll definitely be motivated too... Sometimes, mutual encouragement is more useful than providing practical help... because it prevents a superficial connection!"
Chen Jin sighed, "It's over. I'm afraid I'll never catch up with you in my entire life... Just look at your pretentious attitude, no one can imitate it!"
I laughed and said, "I'm not kidding you... This time, I'm going to Thailand with a goal in mind. I need to make a comeback, so I have to go... Let's not talk about this nonsense anymore. I'll make a bet with you. Let's bet on who will be more successful a year from now... Until we get a result, this is a battle of wills."
"Let's compete, buddy, are you afraid of me... But you need to make it clear first, what is your definition of success?... Is it career in a broad sense, or love in a narrow sense?"
"Compare both."
(End of this chapter) h/>/>
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
